Welcome Active Rain New Members & Invited Guests - If you are looking to Active Rain as a place to get rich quick, or just score points, you're in the wrong spot. However, if you're looking to surround yourself with incredible knowledge, experienced professionals, worthy relationships, industry support, and marketing ideas to grow your business and better your Blogging skills, you've landed in the BEST spot on planet earth.

For months now, I have been welcoming "New Members" by adding links in your comments, and a welcome message to your "Very First Post" here on Active Rain. Now, I still welcome you, and just include a link to this post. :-)

As a new member to Active Rain, I'm inviting you to join me on a journey which will hopefully guide you through our Active Rain "Land and Community." I have spent numerous hours creating posts for other friends, members, and invited guests to help them speed up the "learning & success" process here. My advice, take your time, get yourself set-up properly, and then enjoy the many benefits and privileges of being an Active Rain Member.

Please understand that there are a ton of helpful posts by many members here on AR, and this is no substitute for all the great stuff you will find here. The intent of this post is to guide you through the set-up process, take you on a guided tour of some helpful and "Value-Added" posts and sites, simplify your learning curve, and minimize the time it takes to get you up and running with your Blog on Active Rain. Let's begin step by step....

This next post is a compilation, which will give you some great links, ideas, and resources to really kick-off your Blog, and possibly answer some of the many questions you may have at this point. The Bloggers Start-Up Kit is FREE for you to use and refer to when needed. You will find many of these links and this information posted there. Blogger Startup Kit

ADDING ASSOCIATES and SUBSCRIBING:

Adding associates and subscribing to their Blog is what keeps Active Rain alive and thriving. It's another big part of the relationship building process here. There are a couple things to know about when doing this. So You've Added Me as an Associate

BEING THE FEATURED AGENT ON ACTIVE RAIN:

You are now ready to go to the next level with your Active Rain Blogging experience! Many new members want to know how to get to the coveted "Featured Member" status in their geographic areas. There is an easy explanation of how to do this, and yes, it can be you. You will get out of this community as much, and even more than you put into it. Here's how. Do You Want to be the "Featured Member" in your Area

All of us started here just as you have, learning as we go, advancing by trial and error, and gathering data from others to try and be more successful in our attempt to grow business, build referrals, and establish relationships. Here's a post that will help you market your Blog more effectively, instead of just waiting for someone to hopefully find it by a Google "Keyword" search, or through osmosis and luck. Marketing and Farming Your Blog

There are over 3000 Groups here on Active Rain. This area is entirely up to you as far as which ones to join. I suggest you take an hour, look through them all, and determine which ones will benefit you most. As you create posts on Active Rain, you'll want to add them to "Topic Related" groups, so choose wisely. Please DO NOT add your posts to groups if they are not ON TOPIC for that group.

Here's a couple groups I recommend if you're new here, and looking for some places to hang out and learn while starting your adventure here. You can search ALL GROUPS, just click here. You can also create your own GROUP by CLICKING HERE, but please do a thorough SEARCH first, chances are, that group may already exist!

You may want to search for others you know here, maybe some specific topics, keywords, or even a particular Blog or post that may have the answers you're looking for. There are a few ways to do this more efficiently and more affectively. Finding What You Need - The Ultimate Search!

Paying it forward is a term you will see used frequently here on AR. It simply means to "Pay Forward" a kind deed or gesture to another member or person as you see fit. It's like paying the toll bridge fee for the person in the car behind you. They in turn pay for the person behind them, and so on, and so on. It's a great way to give back to a community that gives so much to you. It's OK to take from the "rain", but you must also be willing to give back, or "Pay it Forward" from time to time. Paying It Forward, Active Rain Style

FINALLY - You are ready to be cut loose and set FREE to roam around the Active Rain Country, but before you go, I've started an AR Birthday Calendar, so can you please click on the link below and enter your birthday?

It's not that we need to know how old you are, it's that when your birthday comes, we want to do something special for you. Members are important, and sharing that special day is just my way of having an excuse and good reason for "PARTY TIME" with you!! :-)

Good luck to you in all your endeavors here, I hope that you'll get as much out of this place as the rest of us members have. This truly is the one and only place that you'll find yourself coming back to, time and time again. To find other informative posts here, just search the keywords, "Active Rain Community Support", or just CLICK HERE!

Don't be overwhelmed, give yourself 2 weeks to get through this post, and all the links and information here! It took an entire year in the making! :-)